Bagworm moth

Bagworm moth
The Psychidae (bagworm moths, also simply bagworms or bagmoths) are a family of the Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths). The bagworm family is fairly small, with about 1,350 species described. Bagworm species are found globally, with some, such as the snailcase bagworm (Apterona helicoidella), in modern times settling continents where they are not native.
Another common name for the Psychidae is "case moths", but this is just as well used for the case-bearers (Coleophoridae). The names refer to the habits of caterpillars of these two families, which build small protective cases in which they can hide. The bagworms belong to the superfamily Tineoidea, which is a basal lineage of the Ditrysia (as is Gelechioidea, which includes case-bearers). This means that the bagworms and case-bearers are only as closely related to each other as either is to butterflies (Rhopalocera).
Most bagworms are inoffensive to humans and inconspicuous; some are occasional nuisance pests. However, a few species can become more serious pests, and have caused significant damage e.g. to wattle (Acacia mearnsii) in South Africa and orange (Citrus × sinensis) in Florida. If detected early, picking the cases from the trees while in their pupa stage is an effective way to check an infestation; otherwise, insecticides are used. One bagworm species, the fangalabola (Deborrea malgassa) of Madagascar, is in some places encouraged to breed on wattle trees, because its pupae are collected as a protein-rich food.
Description
The caterpillar larvae of the Psychidae construct cases out of silk and environmental materials such as sand, soil, lichen, or plant materials. These cases are attached to rocks, trees or fences while resting or during their pupa stage, but are otherwise mobile. The larvae of some species eat lichen, while others prefer green leaves. In many species, the adult females lack wings and are therefore difficult to identify accurately. Case-bearer cases are usually much smaller, flimsier, and consist mainly of silk, while bagworm "bags" resemble caddisfly cases in their outward appearance – a mass of (mainly) plant detritus spun together with silk on the inside.
Bagworm cases range in size from less than 1 cm to 15 cm among some tropical species. Each species makes a case particular to its species, making the case more useful to identify the species than the creature itself. Cases among the more primitive species are flat. More specialized species exhibit a greater variety of case size, shape, and composition, usually narrowing on both ends. The attachment substance used to affix the bag to host plant, or structure, can be very strong, sometimes requiring a great deal of force to remove. Body markings are rare. Adult females of many bagworm species are larviform, with only vestigial wings, legs, and mouthparts. In some species, parthenogenesis is known. The adult males of most species are strong fliers with well-developed wings and feathery antennae but survive only long enough to reproduce due to underdeveloped mouthparts that prevent them from feeding. Most male bagworm wings have few of the scales characteristic of most moths, instead having a thin covering of hairs.
Ecology
In the larval stage, bagworms extend their head and thorax from their mobile case to devour the leaves of host plants, often leading to the death of their hosts. Trees infested with bagworms exhibit increasingly damaged foliage as the infestation increases until the leaves are stripped bare. Some bagworms are specialized in their host plants (monophagous), while others can feed on a variety of plant species (polyphagous). A few species also consume small arthropods (such as the camphor scale Pseudaonidia duplex, a scale insect). One bagworm species was found to eat an orb-web of Plebs sachalinensis (Araneae, Araneidae) entirely.
Since bagworm cases are composed of silk and the materials from their habitat, they are naturally camouflaged from predators. Predators include birds and other insects. Birds often eat the egg-laden bodies of female bagworms after they have died. Since the eggs are very hard-shelled, they can pass through the bird's digestive system unharmed, promoting the spread of the species over wide areas.
A bagworm begins to build its case as soon as it hatches. Once the case is built, only adult males ever leave the case, never to return, when they take flight to find a mate. Bagworms add material to the front of the case as they grow, excreting waste materials through the opening in the back of the case. When satiated with leaves, a bagworm caterpillar secures its case and pupates. The adult female, which is wingless, either emerges from the case long enough for breeding or remains in the case while the male extends his abdomen into the female's case to breed. Females lay their eggs in their case and die. The female evergreen bagworm (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis) dies without laying eggs, and the larval bagworm offspring emerge from the parent's body. Some bagworm species are parthenogenetic, meaning their eggs develop without male fertilization. Each bagworm generation lives just long enough as adults to mate and reproduce in their annual cycle.
Systematics
Ten subfamilies and about 240 genera are recognized among the bagworms.
The subfamilies of Psychidae, with some notable genera and species also listed, are:
Subfamily Epichnopteriginae
Acentra
Bijugis
Epichnopterix
Epichnopterix plumella
Heliopsychidea
Mauropterix
Montanima
Psychidea
Psychocentra
Rebelia
Reisseronia
Stichobasis
Stichobasis postmeridianus
Whittleia
Whittleia retiella
Subfamily Naryciinae
Dahlica Enderlein, 1912
Dahlica triquetrella
Eosolenobia Filipjev, 1924
Narycia
Postsolenobia Meier, 1958
Siederia
Subfamily Oiketicinae
Apterona
Apterona helicoidella – (snailcase bagworm)
Canephora
Canephora hirsuta
Cryptothelea (= Platoeceticus)
Cryptothelea gloverii
Astala
Kotochalia
Kotochalia junodi – (wattle bagworm)
Hyalarcta
Deborrea
Deborrea malgassa – (fangalabola)
Eumeta
Eumeta crameri – (faggot worm)
Megalophanes
Megalophanes viciella
Oiketicus
Zamopsyche
Eucoloneura
Pachythelia
Phalacropterix
Ptilocephala
Ptilocephala plumifera
Sterrhopterix
Sterrhopterix fusca
Thyridopteryx
Subfamily Placodominae
Placodoma
Subfamily Psychinae
Liothula
Liothula omnivora
Luffia
Luffia ferchaultella
Luffia lapidella
Psyche
Psyche casta
Psyche crassiorella
Psyche rassei
Psyche saxicolella
Prochalia
Subfamily Taleporiinae
Bankesia Tutt, 1899
Bankesia conspurcatella
Brevantennia Sieder, 1953
Cebysa
Cebysa leucotelus – (Australian bagmoth)
Diplodoma
Diplodoma adspersella
Eotaleporia Sauter, 1986
Praesolenobia Sieder, 1954
Pseudobankesia Meier, 1963
Sciopetris Meyrick, 1891
Taleporia
Subfamily Typhoniinae
Typhonia
Typhonia animosa
Typhonia bimaculata
Incertae sedis
Eumasia
Eumasia crisostomella
Eumasia parietariella (Heydenreich, 1851)
Iphierga
Iphierga chrysophaes Turner, 1917
Subfamily Scoriodytinae
Scoriodyta Meyrick, 1888
Scoriodyta conisalia Meyrick, 1888
Subfamily Metisinae
Metisa Hampson, 1895
Metisa canifrons Hampson, 1895
Subfamily Pseudarbelinae
Pseudarbela Sauber, 1902
Pseudarbela celaena (Bethune-Baker, 1904)
Pseudarbela aurea (Bethune-Baker, 1904)
Pseudarbela papuana Clench, 1959
Pseudarbela semperi Sauber, 1902
Casana Walker, 1865
Casana trochiloides Walker, 1865
Linggana Roepke, 1957
Linggana cardinaali Roepke, 1957
References
External links
Bagworm, Fall Webworm or Eastern Tent Caterpillar? , August 18, 2001. Sandra Mason, University of Illinois Extension. Accessed May 31, 2010.
Bagworm Control, Photos and Video from University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension
Bagworm fact sheet from Penn State
Psychids Accessed 2002-06-26
Bagworm Silk cases
Psychidae
Moth families